The 2020 election saw a major realignment of Hispanic voters in South Texas as the Rio Grande Valley in general shifted decisively toward Trump.
In Hidalgo County, where McAllen sits, Hillary won by 41 percentage points in 2016, Beto won by 38 in 2018. In 2020, Biden won by 17 points which makes Saturday’s mayoral victor by Republican Javier Villalobos mind blowing.
Villalobos defeated Democrat Veronica Whitacre in the June 5 runoff with 51.11 percent of the vote (4,744 to 4,538).
Trump 2020 campaign senior advisor Steve Cortes points out:
The Washington Examiner’s Carly Ortiz-Lytle writes on the trends that a realignment appears to be afoot in South Texas:
"Former President Donald Trumpflipped five Hispanic-majority Texas counties last November. In Zapata County, which is 94% Hispanic, Trump doubled the number of votes he received. The county had not been won by a Republican presidential candidate since the 1920 election. Trump also flipped Kenedy County, where he lost by 8 points in 2016. Trump won the county by 32 points four years later.
Trump’s success with engaging Hispanic voters was also seen in counties that he lost. Hillary Clinton won Starr County by 60.2 points in 2016. In the 2020 election, Trump lost by 5 points, which represents a 55.2-point swing. The former president made double-digit gains in Maverick County, which is 95.1% Hispanic, compared to his 2016 vote total."
Travis County GOP Matt Mackowiak is bullish on the GOP’s chances in South Texas.